Automobile signal



dct. 16,1923. 1,471,084

A. E. WOLTER AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed Nov. 30 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2/ I Q INVENTOR Anfone f Wo/zer ATTORNEY och-16,1923. 1,471,084

A. E. WOLTER AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed Nov. 30 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY INVENTOR Ania/2e Wd/i fl" Signals, offwhich"the following'is a speciii' citizen of the United States, residing atEvthrough 8, 8 i fFi 7 'tured lug 17 which is 'fA-NTONE El :VVOLTER,

or, V RE T; wasnineron.

Aoro /roBILE sfenn n i" Applicationiiled November 3o, 1 921.fse;ia1n 518,872, I

To-aZZ whom it may concern; o

Be it known thatI, Ame E. WoLTER, a

eret't, in the county of f Snohomish and State of ll ashmgton, have 1nventedcerta1nneW and useful Improvements. in ri'iutomobile cation. x This invention" relates to visibledirection signals for motor vehicles and its object is the provision of simple, inexpensive, durable and efficient devices of this character "which may be conveniently usedby a vehicle driver to indicate his intention to turn or stop the vehicle. The invention-consists in the novel construction arrangement and {combination of parts hereinafte'r described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1- 1s a perspective vlew ofthe front portion of an automobile with the signal connected to the windshield and showing the operating member upon the steering column. Fig. a plan view of the signal attached to a windshield framepos'tfwhich is shown in horizontalsection. Fig.3 is a rear elevational view offFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a'vertical section taken on broken line 4.4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an end view-of the operating mem- 4 her withthe cover 'and-Tlrandleeleme'nts omit v Fig; 6 is verticalflongitu dinalcsec tional View of F 1g. 5. 'Flg. 7 1s adetall sectional view'through 7 +701 F 1g. 2; and Fig.

8 is a similar v'iew' taken substantially In said drawings,-' the reference numeral 10 designates,generallyfla casing" of asubstantially parallelepiped .shape which, as sh0vvn,consi'sts "of front and rearwalls ll and 12 connected with each ,othera'djacent to their outer ends by affloor 13, and'are similarly connected at their inner ends by a floor 14, top wall 15 and end wall 16. At or near its inner end the casing '10 is f provided with a' forwardlydirected aper connectedby ahori-- zontally disposed securing bolt 18 to a clamp ing bracket 19 whereby the casing is secured to the side member 20 of a windshield'frame. 21 represents a direction indicating arm, hereinafter designated as the pointer, having one of its'ends'r pre'ferably pointed'as at 21 and adjacent to its other end said point er is secured to an arbor 22 whose ends arejournaled inbearings provided therefor in the casing walls 1l'and12 latter. 2

column 36 of'the venient reach of the driver.

31 is secured asbyineans of 44. {As shown in Fig. 6, the plate 4O is pro,'- to effect revoluble into register with. any

Also mounted upon the arbor. 22 isa spur 2 gear 23, see Fig. 4, wh ch isl n OOHEIIIHOUS mesh with rack teeth 24 ofa rod .25. provid ed? longitudinally"within the, cas ng and having rack teeth 26 engaging a spur pinion 27 which is mounted upon a shaft28 located] within the casingnear the inner end, of the ceptacle 33' provided upon and constituting a part of said casing, to. accommodate the aforesaid cranlr28., The other end 'ofs'aid tubeis attached to theperipheral wall 34 of a cylindrical housing 35; 1

The housing 35 is rigidly secured; to the or to any therf suitable support. ithin con Figs. 5 and 6, said housinggis coupledto-the column by meansjof a stirrup strap 37 ex tending around the column and provided with screw threaded ends taking in cap nuts 38 which extend through back wall 39 ofthe housing.

Thefront wall. or cover plate 40jo'f the housing is rotatably mountedupon'central post 41 and isl'yieldingly; heldag'ainst the outer edge ofthe wall 34 by means ofa' sprin 42' actin a ainst the late.

.t: I b b i Carried by the plate withinthe housing is "a crank pin, 43 tofwhich thefiexible rod vided a handle 45 movements of'thepr'anl; pm 43 for imparting endwise movements to regulating the pointer 21] V The" platef40' isprovided; moreover, with.

automobile steering post a: binding screw the 'fiezriblfe rod for.

The share 2815 providedlfwith a 7 As. shown in and engage the a; tooth46 whichis' arranged to be brought one of a series of spacednotch'es, denoted byO; R, L ands,

respectively provided in the housing wall 34.

i Included in the signal device areelectrical means for illuminating the pointer when in its exposed positlons. vlde at-the front and To which 'end," I prorearlof the casing in proximity of its outer end electric light bulbs 47 which are respectively encased in hood reflectors 48 arranged to mask the re "spective lights from being seen from both the front and rear ofthe' vehicle. 'Each re:

fle'ctor is provided at the top and'bottoin' 1 the same with flange elements 49 which engage under finger elements 50 provided in the respectivecasing wall 11 or 12. i

. vA reflector is secured from accidental withdrawal from said fingers by means of a screw 51 extending through an apertured ear'52'of a reflector into a threaded hole in the adjacent wall of the casing. A light bulb 47 isprovided at diametrically oppositesides of its ferrule e7 with studs as 53,

. one beingshown in Fig. .8, and serving inutuially as one of the lamp contacts, the other contact ofxa bulb beiiig afforded by. an axially disposed projection 54, "Thistype of light bulb is such as commonly used in automobile practice for tail-lights, etc.

- According to the present invention a light bulb is engaged in its operative position by being seated against the outstanding part 155 of afresilient strip 55 of electric insulating material which is secured by means of lamping screws 56 between the adjacent casing wall, as 11 in Fig. 8, and a metal plate 57 having a bifurcated portion 57 W h is adapted to engage the respective studs 53 for retaining the projection 54: against the associated reflector whereby the lamp circuit is grounded. The plate 57 constitutes the terminal of a conducting wire 58 leading from an electric battery not shown. .59 represents a block of suitable resilient material to cushionthe pointer when swung into its inoperativeposition within the easing;

A mirror adjustably connected by an attachment 61, Fig. 2, to the casing is of advantage to the driver in obtaining av rear 'In operation, the pointer 21 is moved into a selected position by means of the gear 523 and rack bar 25 from the pinion 27 which,

in turn, is rotatably moved by means of the fiexiblerod 31 which operatively connects the crank29 of the pinion shaft with the crank pin 43 on the rotary cover plate 40 of housing 35.

"This plate 40 is controlled bythe handle ,45 to cause the pointer 21 to be moved into a predetermined position as will be regulated by'the registering of the tooth 46 with a selected one of the'housing-notches.

The positions of the pointer according to the present invention preferably correspond with the conventional positions assumed by a persons arm in signalling from a vehiclethat isito-saywhen pointing upwardly as denoted'by dotted lines B (Fig. 1) the vehicle i to turn toward the right; when horizontal, as denoted by L toward the, left; and when giving notice 'of stoppingthe pointer is directed downwardly as represented by full lines in Figs. 1 and 3.

The housing notches R, L, and S are lo cated' to receive the tooth e6 of the operating plate l O when the same has been suitably manipulated to cause the pointer to be plesented in the respectivepositions above referred to. The other notch 0, Fig. 5, is disposed to receive the tooth when the pointer is swung into the casing and like the ,re maining notchesR, L, and serve with the tooth to releasably lock the pointer operatingmcchanism. for retaining the pointer in selected positions;

WVhat I claim, is,.-

Ina signal for motor vehicles, the combi nation of a casingadapted to be secured at one end thereof to a vehicle, a signalling arm pivo'tally connected to one end of said infa selected position, and means provided upon the casing for illuminating the front and rear sides of the vsignalling arm when the sameisin its several signalling positions; Signed at Seattle, ashington, this 23rd day of November 1921. v I

I I ANTON-E E. WOLTER.

Witnesses: r I

PIERRE BARNES, MARGAkET G sUlPIi fi. 

